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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. tube — a container
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. kid — to tease
  6. ground — crushed
  7. can — to be able to
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. tube — the underground
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. shower — rain
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. kid — child
  14. can — a tin
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. ground — the earth
  20. toast — bread
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bound — certain
  23. ground — a position
  24. can — a tin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com